Apidog vs Karate
Verdict: Apidog scores 9.8/10 against 9.8/10 for Karate on our data score for API testing tools.
Karate is cheaper to start: paid plans from $8.33 vs $9 per user/month on annual billing.
Both have a free plan.
Apidog leads on 2 checks and Karate on 1; 7 are even, out of 10 checks (yes/no, price and seats) where we have data for both.
Choose Apidog for teams that want API design, mocks, tests and docs in one tool at a low per-user price. Choose Karate for engineering teams that want code-based API tests in CI without a per-user client fee.
Scoreboard: 10 checks
| Check | Apidog | Karate |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Even | Even |
| Free trial | Leads | |
| Lower entry price (annual) | Leads | |
| Lower entry price (monthly) | Leads | |
| Smaller seat minimum | Even | Even |
| REST API testing | Even | Even |
| GraphQL testing | Even | Even |
| Load testing | Even | Even |
| API mocking | Even | Even |
| CI/CD integration | Even | Even |
| Total | 2 | 1 |
At a glance
| Apidog | Karate | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 9.8/10 (#1) | 9.8/10 (#2) |
| Best for | Teams that want API design, mocks, tests and docs in one tool at a low per-user price | Engineering teams that want code-based API tests in CI without a per-user client fee |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Paid from (annual) | $9/user/mo | $8.33/user/mo |
| Paid from (monthly) | $12/user/mo | $64/user/mo |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial of paid plans | — |
| Minimum seats | 1 | 1 |
| Platforms | Cloud (SaaS), Desktop (Windows, macOS, Linux), Web app, On-premises | Open-source framework (JVM), IntelliJ and VS Code plugins, Xplorer desktop app |
Features
| Tool | Score | REST API testing | GraphQL testing | Load testing | API mocking | CI/CD integration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apidog | 9.8/10 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Karate | 9.8/10 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Pros and cons
Apidog
Pros- Free plan for up to 4 users includes mocking, unlimited test runs and local performance tests
- Paid plans are listed per user with both monthly and annual prices
- On-premises and air-gapped deployment available for Enterprise
- Free plan caps team projects at 5 and API change history at 7 days
- Enterprise is annual-only; SAML SSO and SCIM are only on Enterprise
- Cloud mock server limited to 10K calls/month on the Free plan
Karate
Pros- Core framework is free and MIT-licensed, including mocks, Gatling performance tests and CI/CD use
- One framework covers API, UI and performance tests
- Paid tiers are listed per user with public prices
- Async protocols (Kafka, gRPC, WebSocket) in CI/CD need an Enterprise runtime license
- Tests are written in Karate's own DSL, so non-coders need the IDE or Xplorer tooling
- Enterprise trials require a vetted, scoped request rather than self-serve sign-up
Frequently asked questions
How do Apidog and Karate compare on features and price?
Apidog leads on 2 checks and Karate on 1; 7 are even, out of 10 checks (yes/no, price and seats) where we have data for both.
Is Apidog better than Karate?
Apidog scores 9.8/10 against 9.8/10 for Karate on our data score for API testing tools. Apidog is best for teams that want API design, mocks, tests and docs in one tool at a low per-user price; Karate is best for engineering teams that want code-based API tests in CI without a per-user client fee.
Which is cheaper, Apidog or Karate?
Karate is cheaper, starting at $8.33 vs $9 per user/month on annual billing.
Do Apidog and Karate have free plans?
Apidog: yes. Karate: yes.
See the full API Testing Tools ranking for other options.